Our Futures
by Densetsu-no-Maguro
Summary: They wanted to see the world together, so they ran for their wide futures. [Banica!POV, Carlos!POV, BanicaxCarlos, AU]
1. Chapter 1

My wife and I had lived humbly ever since we left everything behind us.

We have traveled, but we are not finished yet. We have many homes, yet none of them are permanent. But just yesterday, my wife ran into the house with a piece of paper in her hand, with her sleeves folded up to her elbows and her apron wet with the laundry water.

"What happened?" I asked. "Banica, what happened?"

Without a word, Banica ushered Arte and Pollo into the house and hastily locked the doors as they shut the windows as well. I stood from my seat, wondering what could possibly be so serious that would make her so distressed, but before I could even ask a third time, Banica thrust the paper down onto the wooden table on which we would always have our meals on for the duration, and it was all clear.

There were only a few words on the paper, and I saw that it was all it took to make us panic.

_'Return immediately._  
_-Juno Beelzenia.'_

* * *

_Carlos_

On February, EC 312, we ran for our futures. We chose another way out, another way to live.

We went to the port and sneaked into one of the departing ships, yet I remembered that it was easier said than done at the time. We were two children of fifteen years, and neither of us had a healthy bodily composition fit for sudden strenuous physical activities. We weren't ordinary children; Banica was the daughter of one of the Five Dukes of the Beelzenian Empire, and I was the Third Prince of the Kingdom of Marlon, yet the weight of our titles didn't serve to support us, but hindered us instead in our childish yet ambitious pursuit of happiness.

The port of Jamet was a last-minute plan, admittedly, but we managed to run undetected. We managed with the help of sailors allowing us to sail with them, expressing their amused interest in us wanting to see the entirety of the world. Banica herself was rather enthusiastic, and while she had regained color and spirit in her face, I was also pleased at the fact that she gradually- ah - lost weight in the process as well.

But as for me, I got sicker on board. The seas were no good for me, it seemed, despite me being a prince of the famed kingdom of the seas. However, once again, the sailors did much- or did the best they could, in fact. They gave me all sorts of elixirs, all sorts of medications, all sorts of dreaded traditional medicine that only Banica had the stomach to swallow, but that was all and that was it.

Until we reached Elphegort.

I remembered the day that Banica ran to me and excitedly exclaimed: "Arte and Pollo are here, and I've found someone who can help you!"

It was a miracle, this discovery. I became as healthy as Banica, and the four of us: me, Banica, Arte and Pollo traveled with the sailors who allowed our voyage to happen from the very beginning. We were like a large family; we celebrated birthdays, we observed cultural holidays, and the time came when Banica and I eventually married. It was surreal; no one ever realized that we were gone, or maybe they did, but they saw that this was of no importance. We were of no use to anyone back where we came from, but we were of use to each other and everyone else here.

But this letter was threatening to quash our dreams to the ground.

"We can't leave," Banica pleaded, her brown eyes looking around wildly. "We absolutely can't leave. Carlos, we can't leave!"

"But they know where we are!" Pollo retorted back, looking as panicked as Banica was. "Arte, do something!"

"We'll just have to leave..." Arte began quickly.

"...and we'll have to tell everyone," Pollo finished, just as quickly.

"But this is not what Lady Banica wants," Arte shot back, glaring at Pollo. "Don't you know anything?"

As we expected, Pollo ended up taking half a minute to register the fact, and he ended up nodding slowly while slowly saying a well-formulated: "...Oh."

Banica shook her head and sat down; I presumed that she had forced herself to calm down in the shortest time possible. She drummed her fingers on the table in deep contemplation, considering the situation as best as she could. We all knew that leaving the people who had cared for us, who had traveled with us, who taught us how to live, to love, to fight, to appreciate the very world itself was out of the option entirely, yet we knew that due to our noble lineages, we couldn't drag them into the same trouble that we had.

"...We have to lie to them," Banica said. Her voice sounded strained.

"Lie?" I asked.

"We have to tell them that we're going somewhere- I don't know what exactly we're going to have to say..." Banica continued, "but we need to tell them that we'll be back. We'll definitely be back. We'll escape again if we have to. But we have to go back for now."

"But you don't want this, Lady Banica," Arte said, frowning as she went over to Banica, holding her arm gently. "We can do something. You don't have to leave."

She shook her head. "This is the only way. We'll be back, of course, won't we?"

"Of course we will," I said, as I wanted nothing more than to console her, and myself. "We'll come back. We'll tell everyone that we have to do something rather important- I don't think we can bring ourselves to lie to them about what we could possibly do, otherwise they won't ever trust us again," I laughed.

Banica hit my arm with a nearby cloth. "Our names aren't Joseph Crim and Maylis Crim, mind you," she grinned.

There's that as well. We've lied about our names. As I realized the fact, I ended up laughing even more, and even the twins started to join in the laughter.

It should've been easier on Arte and Pollo; they never had to fake anything, mainly because none of us knew what they even do, or where they came from, or who their parents were, or what were their last names. They seemed to know exactly what they were doing; most of their motivations stem from serving Banica with their utmost loyalty, but it was a little complicated when it came to me. I wasn't too sure, but before I could think a little further, a knock came at our door, revealing none other than one of our friends, Olivia, who smiled at us and pointed outside.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we're going off again! We're going to Beelzenia!"

* * *

**Our Futures**  
_Chapter 1_

* * *

A/N: This is yet another AU- of course, this is almost in the same category of je ne regrette rien, according to Maguro. Instead, this centers on a possible take on Banica Conchita's and Carlos Marlon's relationship, mainly coming from the idea that Carlos may have entertained the notion of travelling the world with her and accepting her for who she was in the engagement party.

She also says that the chapter mention was intentional; she wanted it to be at the end of each chapter.

-Nairo


	2. Chapter 2

_Banica_

I thought that my earlier suggestion would've remained a suggestion, but it turned out to be the only choice that we have left.

Realistically speaking, I think that we were too shocked to think straight to even suggest going back without even seeming to be bothered earlier. It was unexpected- it was something that none of us would ever think about, but it happened. Carlos and I ran away many years back; things would've changed, but there was one thing that remained unchanged in the code of law.

Personally, I think that we ended up being fugitives.

The very thought makes me extremely uncomfortable, as I slowly tie my boots and look back at just one of the many houses that served as a temporary home. Arte and Pollo are fussing over what to take and what to leave behind, yet all I can think about is what to expect upon going back.

This is far from a new journey; this is returning, and yet, I refuse to return. My feet can be walking towards the Beelzenian Empire, yet my heart can grow further from it as far as it pleases.

I have lived, and always have lived, as Maylis Juin since the day we left. We boarded the S.S. Hermenia as two children of low-ranked nobles who were rebellious enough to escape the comforts of life- as they say- and embrace a life in where traveling it is never enough to sate our curiosities and adventurous hearts. I can still remember that night; the daughter of Lord Conchita and the Third Prince of the Kingdom of Marlon, plastering themselves against the cold walls of the Marlon Royal Palace, hoping and wishing that it would swallow them both.

But what should life expect from two children- one who is as fat as a pig, and one who is so sickly that he had to hold back his coughing fits for the sake of silence- who are so unhealthy?

"Maylis," Carlos nudges me, and I look up at him and realize that we are not in private; we are truly about to leave, and I look at him with worry.

"I think we are wanted," I say falteringly. "Should we even go?"

"Is the letter even real?" Carlos asks instead; a question for a question. "If it was truly from the empress herself, then there would be a seal, as far as I know."

"But even if it is not real, who could possibly know who we are, and where we are?" I murmur. "Our names are different, and I am certain that we have changed in a number of years."

"Who gave the note to you?" Carlos asks. "Do you remember who? Do you know?"

I shake my head helplessly; if he was in my stead yesterday, he would have remembered. "He or she was cloaked. I couldn't tell. The person gave it to me without a word while I was in the middle of washing the linen- I asked for a name, but the person just mounted and left."

"On horseback?"

I nod.

We are interrupted, however, by a cry that we recognized coming from Ivor, one of our companions. He waves over at us, but Arte and Pollo rush out of the open door of the house instead to his much larger stature. I look over; our companions have stopped packing, and for a moment I wonder whether to allow myself to smile at the prospect that no, we are not going after all.

But it is far from that.

"We're going to have a bit of a delay!" Ivor yells.

"Why is that?" Carlos yells back, but Arte runs up to us and holds a portion of our clothes, looking towards Ivor's and Olivia's direction suspiciously. I break away from Arte's grasp and slowly run to where the two stood, and what greets me is the sight of something unexpected.

A dark-haired man, with his red cat mewling piteously, unconscious, on the grassy ground.

* * *

"Drink. Sit up slowly," I instruct the stranger, as I help him up as gently as I could.

It is like a hospital in Gerard's wooden house, with Olivia fetching me towels, Carlos cooking (to which I have instructed Arte to help, since everyone knows how Carlos cooks) and Yasen tending to the sleeping cat. There is no set hierarchy in whoever gets to nurse the sick, or who to invite into the group, but admittedly, everyone believes that I should do just because of one simple fact.

I am married, and therefore, I must mother everyone.

The stranger coughs a bit after he drinks, and I say "Slowly" again to remind him that there is no rush, that he is with good people and in safe hands. He nods weakly and looks at me, and as if he is astonished, he gives a little start and I softly restrain him again.

"You're safe," I reassure him. "My companions have found you unconscious by chance. Does it hurt anywhere else?"

He clears his throat. "T-Thank you," he manages, and sits up comfortably against the headboard. "I'm fine. I should be fine. Thank you."

"We were just about to leave for Beelzenia," I laugh. "Isn't it lucky for you that your body decided to give way just when we were about to go? If we had left, you might have been robbed of everything you have, or worse."

He slowly nods; I note that he is rather disoriented. All he can do is say yes or no. Olivia comes up to me and gives me a cool towel, and I dab it on the man's forehead. He winces, but slowly, he relaxes, and he takes a few deep breaths.

"You said that you were going to go to Beelzenia?" he asks.

I nod. "Yes. Are you going there too?"

"I was on the way," he admits, and then he notices that he has a fresh change of clothes, mainly from Gerard's intervention. A brief look of horror crosses his face and he looks at me again, and I raise my hands in apparent surrender.

"...It wasn't me," I say slowly.

"Where are my clothes?" he asks, as if we have just stripped him off his dignity.

Pollo marches right up to me with his clothes, as if he had been waiting for the stranger to ask for them all this time, and like the simple boy that he is, he dumps the clothes onto the stranger's lap, still unwashed and smells very much like sweat. Looking proud of himself, Pollo looks at the stranger right in the eye and nods in satisfaction.

"Clothes," he says, and I can barely suppress a grin.

"Well, there they are," I respond, grinning eventually. He wrinkles his nose and squints- it is as if we're not the most hospitable lot that he has ever encountered before. The clothes lay on the covers on his lap, and he looks back at me and groans.

"They're not washed," he says pointedly.

"You never asked for them to be washed," I said patronizingly, "_my lord_."

Olivia comes up to me and pulls at my ear as if I am a child, and I give a gasp of surprise before she hastily apologizes to the stranger. "Sorry, sorry! Maylis wasn't like this before- she picked it up all by herself, you see, so I hope that you'll forgive her! She's not so sharp-tongued as we all remember..."

"Sharp-tongued!" I exclaim. "Can you blame me for putting up with Joseph?"

"Your fault that you married him, Maylis," Olivia reminds me. "And now you're following everything that he does. You've got to step up and be independent! Independent women are rising up now! The government's changed-"

"Yes, yes," I laugh, then I turn to our stunned stranger again. "This loud woman here is Olivia, and as you can hear, my name is Maylis. My husband, Joseph, is at the back, and this boy here," in which I draw Pollo close to my side, "is Pollo."

He nods and finds that he can laugh. Olivia excuses herself, and Pollo leaves the room, and I make sure that no one is outside listening. I know better than to be ignorant of a person who wishes to speak about matters to me, and I turn to the stranger and question him. "This is far too sudden a coincidence."

The dark-haired man bows his head. "Miss Maylis Juin, am I correct?"

"I am her."

"Do forgive my unexpected entrance- I am Oshan, a traveling mercenary. I am responsible for the note from the Empress Juno."

I bite my lip in impatience. It was a prank, as Carlos had predicted. If this man were to be caught and jailed, he certainly would not escape treason, especially if it was under the empress's wrath. "If I report you for falsehood, you know that you will die."

"It is nothing of the sort," Oshan says calmly, and then he says something that shocks me more than I can ever imagine. "_Lady Banica_, your father is critically ill."

* * *

**Our Futures**  
_Chapter 2_

* * *

A/N: The second chapter is up.

-Nairo


	3. Chapter 3

_Carlos_

"Papa is ill," Banica tells me.

"You'd believe a travelling mercenary?" I ask. We talk in our room while the twins are asleep in the room next to ours, and there's only one candle to illuminate it. I can see Banica's face contort into a myriad of expressions, and we both know that this is a very doubtful piece of information. It came from a very unreliable source.

"...What if he's really ill?" she whispers, loud enough for me to hear. "Carlos, what if-"

I hold her hand. "We can get Arte and Pollo to check. It's okay."

"If we get separated, then what? We're a whole travelling group, Carlos. If Arte and Pollo don't make it back...? What if something happens to them?"

Arte and Pollo...we met them months after we sailed away from Marlon. The twins were Banica's personal servants back in the day, and they are still staunchly loyal to her to this day. But they still look the same, as if they hadn't aged from back then. We were children and they were children, and now, we're adults, yet they're still children somehow.

There's also the fact that I don't think they like me very much.

"We have to send them away together for the time being. Give them something to track us down," I suggest.

"Carlos..." Banica snaps, "do we leave breadcrumbs everywhere we go so that they can find us?"

Ah...I wonder where she even got that sharp tongue from...

_Creak._

We stop talking.

"We can find Lady Banica anywhere..." Arte's voice came.

"...anytime, anyhow!" Pollo finishes.

The twins are at the doorway, and we stare in shock at the twins, looking as if they're ready to go. They even had tiny rucksacks and Pollo was awkwardly looking around to see if anyone was watching. My wife bit her lip and went to them, bending on her knees as she hugged them both.

I did the same. I hugged the three of them.

To leave when we're such close companions is completely out of the question. It's painful. The twins hugged us back, and I looked at the three of them with a wistful frown.

Banica, my wife.

Arte, the practical twin.

Pollo, the happier twin.

"Come back," I tell them. Banica nods and gets two yellow ribbons from her drawer, then she ties them as neckties around both Arte and Pollo. The twins look at Banica and smile; it's as if they believe that they'll come back. A guaranteed fact.

"Come back. Remember what we said, okay? Come back," Banica says, her voice threatening to crack.

Arte notices immediately. "Lady Banica-"

My wife falls on the twins, hugging them while crying.

* * *

**_Our Futures_**  
_Chapter 3_

* * *

A/N: An update, finally.

-Nairo


End file.
